Handley Page Halifax

[Air Ministry .]

Something to annoy the neighbours . 

72 span , near 700 Sq In . Scale planform Handley Page Halifax / Halton .

the Halifax had a better survival rate for aircraft lost than the Lancaster .
2.5 survived rather than 1.5 for the Lanc. . just as well they had more than one Aircraft .

The successes of Bomber Command were purchased at terrible cost. Of every 100 airmen who joined Bomber Command, 45 were killed, 6 were seriously wounded, 8 became Prisoners of War, and only 41 escaped unscathed (at least physically). Of the 120,000 who served, 55,573 were killed including over 10,000 Canadians.

Looks like there might be enough engines , anyway . Thought Id throw this together to check out the power , etc .
Wings near identical to lancaster , whos fuselage is slimmer. Thus harder to evacuate , tho less fuss for STUNT .
Dunno how much juice theyll use , only gottabout 7 cm lengthwise .
looks like maybe theyve got about the best power to weight ( 4 Oz. ), will even hopefully swing 9 x 4s o.k.

[Air Ministry .]

Tailplane's 24 inch span .Theory was get something done at a reasonable weight, for starters .

Should bear some resemblance to this , if I lash out on some paint .








Got it all on paper , if anyone else has the inclination .

[Steve Helmick]

So, the "Half-alex" name is all about the "flexi-flyer" engineering? Excuse me for not being real hip to WWII Brit bombers. They were pretty ugly and not very appealing to me, I suppose. I did like the Lancaster I saw in the Royal Aussie War Memorial Museum in Canberra...but it may have been the four Merlins, now that I think about it.  Steve

[Air Ministry .]

"  "flexi-flyer"  " ?

Its outa some pretty nice timber , so cant see any worries there .Wont be flying it in hurricanes.
Flaps are nice 1/2 sheet , Tailplanes stiff 5/8 , Fuse is superb 1/2 fine quatergrain. light & stiff .

Stuff ive had asside for years , so all up to the job at minimum weight .
3/8 Sq Maple bearers hopefully cut it, 1/32 ply motor side, 1/16 ply t'other.

Be all 1/8 horns, tho theyll probly be 3 mm !Chasing grammes but centersections as stiff as blazes , as are the lesser outers .

Theres a fairly tidy one they found in a lake , in a museum in Canada .
Only one Stirling might exist . Got the wing / flaps / tailplane done for that . But thought Id check out the power / vibes
beforehand , The Stirlings all built up . Be a chore to do a ( huge ) Fuselage plug . Then theres the nacelles . Lanc's a lot easier
being slimmer .Wanna seeif theyre gunna need the 20 / 25s . or the 15s'll hack it .

[Steve Helmick]

In these parts, if your fuselage isn't round and at least 6" diameter, it's a flexi-flyer...near as I can tell.

FAI rulez allow 2 meatier span, so why only 72"? Getting the donks to quit soon enough will be a problem, unless you add a timer to chop them all at the same time. I guess those are mostly TT .15's in the engine picture?

That one picture (bare aluminium) reminds me of the B-25, with more engines added, but minus the dihedral of the inboard panels and handsome looks. But I may be biased, since ol' Dad piloted a B-25 on many daring raids on the Imperial Army and Navy...one of his two most favorite aeroplanes.    Steve   

[Air Ministry .]

Were Merlin Engined & Hercules sleeve valve two row radials . Hastings , with the same wing , ran 2200 Hp Centaurus .


Theres one over the ' Coatanger '
The Bonneville , Going  from 90 to 135 through the top , was light in the front till past the third pier past the arch . 

Halifax does look like a Mithell , was designed originally for two 2200 Hp Vultures or Sabres , as was the Lancaster -
as a Catapult Lauched Dive Bomber ! . The early 2000 Hp motors wernt initially a success. Hence the Merlins .

The Round Engined H P's & Mk II Lancs outclimbed the Merlin Jobs , and didnt have radiators to get holed by Flak Fighters .But it needed Four .
Heres another ' Spencer ' ( paternal ) design . The Orstawlians wouldnt let it enter the Sydney Hobart race ,
as they pretended it was "' to weak ".

Here its crossing the Trans Pac  finish line . Line Honours. First Place . Ten Years later . For the First time . 73 .
Has two Firsts , a second , & a third , in the Transpac .



Another ' Whispers of wellington won the Wellington to Gisbourne race , in a Cyclone , by Two Hours .
At one stage the water speedo was reading 45 knots , and inside the hull was flexing ' two inches ' from the loads,
with no worries . Tho he did take a few weeks to calm down afterwood .

That weekend we'd got aboout 180 outof a g 15 combat wing , with the ' tail wind ' .

[Scott Richlen]

4 engines?  2 rudders?

Its gotta be good!

[Air Ministry .]

Thanks .

Theyre OS Max .15s fromthe seventies . Got a rangeof venturies ( same fit as 20 & 25 )

Used3/8 x 1/2 bearers , & half in balsa , for the Nacelles. Had intended 3/8 . OS 15 bearer spacing is 1 inch ,
but needs 1/2 depth. Which you dont get with 3/8 in unless you cut a hole in it.

Just when you got complacent with the deH 88 , Steve , with a series of simultaeneous , overlapping & within 1 & two lap - encine run ends,
' we' would get horrible 10 lap stagger in stoping,etc.

Think a liberal nitro applcation get the setting & tourque up & steady , at the cost of consumption , gotta see yet ,
but figure 10 % , tho the more the merrier. If there was room .
Theres a I think Sweedish tank . The baffle 1/4 Fwd. from the rear, sealed to the outer 2/3 width , absent on innerthird.
So flat & level youve just got the rear ' V ' of fuel & the pick up . Thanks !Thinkyouve decide me to go with this -
which hopefully wll narrow the drift in stopping . Can always hammer them if I use four stopwatches , to fine tune that . 

Undercarrage plugs thru bearers , so removable for transport  . Feel the rudders'd be best detachable too .
A few dowles let in& a few screws ?But hate any slackor give there . So havnt commited on that.

Have you tried a fingertip on a Yatsenko taiplane end , gental movement maybe 1 inch o.a. slack ?
seems it must shift angle evenly , tho Id thought may cant in rough air . Maybe it wasonly the one Id harrased . 

Bit of luckI willget some tissue on thisweek, and control sestem ( Horns ) done . On a budget so wont be overnight.

 

[Air Ministry .]

Swinging arange of 9x4s past 10.000 rpm , here. On 5% Nitro,with exquvalent of something like a 4.5  (0.19inch ) bore  intake .



Theyre pretty compact , in comparison with most .15s . There is a T T 15 that is a copy .

So, the "Half-alex" name

CRIKEY . I got it Wrong. I thought I wrote ' Hafalex ' .. In the day " Halibag "was said to be the moniker .

[Gordon Van Tighem]

 CRIKEY . I got it Wrong. I thought I wrote ' Hafalex ' .. In the day " Halibag "was said to be the moniker .
[/quote]

My Dad called them “flying coffins” but he flew more Lancaster’s in his two tours....
G

[GERALD WIMMER]

Hello
Nice work there on the Halifax , I find it a beautiful subject almost as good looking as the Lancaster . Why not use throttles on the OS15's with a 2.4 ghz radio to cut them all  off as it is legal to stop your flight like this. Could also be a timer activating servo cut offs rather then an esc . Like the idea of building a Lancaster for electric but it would lack the fun and drama glows add. I have the Harold Towner plan but it looks to complicated for me!
Regards Gerald
https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=348

[Steve Helmick]

Well, Matt, you're screwed now...it'll be "Half-Alex" from here on. Maybe can work out some comic nose-art for that name. Little Abner, maybe?  Steve

[wwwarbird]

So, the "Half-alex" name is all about the "flexi-flyer" engineering?

 I'm assuming that was a misspell, it's supposed to be Halifax.

 This one deserves a fresh set of FP or LA's instead of those crusty old leftovers. Awesome project here though, staying tuned. 

[Dalton Hammett]

Really neat project,  I'd like to see that one in the air !!!!!

[Steve Helmick]

Crikey, it's supposed to be a HALIFAX. Sum of a gum.        Steve

[Air Ministry .]

" This one deserves a fresh set of FP or LA's instead of those crusty old leftovers "

" Why not use throttles on the OS15's with a 2.4 ghz radio to cut them all  off as it is legal to stop your flight like this. Could also be a timer activating servo cut offs rather then an esc  "

Please forward all eqipment . Be sure to incude a invoice to forward to my sponscer . 

Doping it all & sanding , the last few days .
Bushfires & super hot thru the day . So irregular hours. But getting somewhere .Ready for tissue .

Was just pinned together for the shots .

Horns to do before assembly . Think Ive got them figured . Done the tip weight Box , Leadout Guide & Tips .
Was looking forward to whitlling the tips for weeks , till entusiasm waned as I got prerequisetes done ,
But they came out o.k. anyway . Going  back as far as the flap t.e. capping the ends. Fixed .

Will thow one or one & one quater lead in the Tip prior to covering . With the motors all outboard of the nacelles ,
Maybe another ounce in the box , for first flights .

Have adequate Veco 19s , inc. two L H cranks , if needed . But weight manadgements the big thing .

[wwwarbird]

Will thow one or one & one quater lead in the Tip prior to covering .

 That might be a little much. If you want to "build in" any permanent tip weight I'd say 3/4 to one ounce at the very most on this one, leave anything else for the adjustable weight box. 

[GERALD WIMMER]

Hello
2.4 gear not that dear anymore see:
https://www.trademe.co.nz/toys-models/radio-control-robots/parts-accessories/transmitters-receivers/listing-2431570361.htm?rsqid=7e3247aa137349ab875129a359c6ea4b-006
For $45 can have a transmitter and receiver to use on a lot of planes. One transmitter of mine serves a lot of models and it's easy to swap between me , Otto and Max's models.
Those old OS 15's go well even if the newer ones are more powerful , they are still reliable on my Twin Showman
Regards Gerald
 

[Dennis Saydak]

Beautiful work! You've got more guts than me - 4 engines.

[Air Ministry .]

Thanks . 

Few more picture . You can see the underside outer panel sheeting is chalky grain . supposed to be ' Comp wood . Ripple wood actually .
Will have to replace underside , likely upper too . If we dont want our fingers thru it .  Comes of clean with the aliphatic, at least .

[Air Ministry .]

Stripped of the outers L E sheeting . underside - resheeted . then ditto Top face . With good q grain . Pre doped & sanded .

( needs to be within 1/2 hr of dope - or damp inside face ( as i did on the Top ) ).

Straight edges and new scalple blades were involved . As was a large barstard file . and my 3 x 1 block & 80 Wt. yellow paper
to drop the dags off the ribs, back to the glue face . Only a few minor graunches . So other parts filled .
Dont leave glass head pins lying around . Good 1/8 dia. deep imprints result in parts .

Stirling Wing for comparison ( 4 x 20s ? 2 x 20s 2 x 25s ? )

We Have our methods ! 

They even have Airfoils .

[Air Ministry .]

All the rests doped up, ready for final sand , and tissue .Wish we had th heavy silkspan here .

[Air Ministry .]

Resheeting the outer leading edges . Seing the sheets secure to the spars ! .

Nailing bits to the wing .  One Step at a time might be a better idea . Realigned one innerbefore it had fully hardened .
The old wire cake cutter trick .

Few little scale intakes & the like to do . Tanks , undercarrage etc . Got the first sprayed clear on yesterday  . Double tissue on pen bays .

Will fit rudders last .

Possable to slide into the 87 Falcon through the front passengers door , Driver askew perhaps but not impossable to transport .
If we stopped spending the tea money on model aeroplanes the Ute might be on the road . Theyed fit in behind there .
Been digressing slightly on a de H 88 as I wanted to build  the Yak 1 & did a Halifax . 
Theres also a GOON as D Hanna kindly milled the HP 40 cases for the liner drop . Might need to decompress the one ive assembled .
Mighty Compression . Liner dropped 0.7 m / about 25 thou. with the stock head gasket . Used a 0.7 mm gasket previously .

[944_Jim]

Hi Air Ministry,

I'm trying to decipher your tank explanation since I am a sucker for twins. My Black Hawk Models Mosquito bit the dust in a most dramatic/traumatic explosion of balsa and aluminum parts this summer. Clearly I have much to learn about fueling/feeding multies.

Can we go over this part one more time for the newbie? I get the point of nitro, and its impact on needling/consumption. The rest is killing me.

"Think a liberal nitro applcation get the setting & tourque up & steady , at the cost of consumption , gotta see yet ,
but figure 10 % , tho the more the merrier. If there was room .
Theres a I think Sweedish tank . The baffle 1/4 Fwd. from the rear, sealed to the outer 2/3 width , absent on innerthird.
So flat & level youve just got the rear ' V ' of fuel & the pick up . Thanks !Thinkyouve decide me to go with this -
which hopefully wll narrow the drift in stopping . Can always hammer them if I use four stopwatches , to fine tune that ."

[Air Ministry .]

RIGHT , I will repeat that in ENGLISH , then . 

( Will dig out drawing of tank , but time presses, so another day . )a explanation will have to suffice for now .

Picture This .



Say 1/4 the length , from the back ( 1 1/4 " ) theres a solid baffle . no holes or leaks . Goes from outside to leave say 1/3 width free / open . inboard

FLYING , as were pirouetteing about the atmosphere , the fuel in the rear outer compartment keeps getting repleished . Unless were flat and level .

(and the uni flow goes into the rear section . Explained the tank . Test flights Id level off , past 1/3 tank - a few miutes . the engine'd STOP .
Kept getting " That Tank didnt Last Long " remarks .  ! .  )

Essentially you have enough fuel for say SIX LAPS , in the rear compartment .
As its say 20 c.c. 2/3 ounce - WHATEVER ! , the percentage variation , if the tanks are all aligned , should be naff all . Hopefully say 1/2 Lap .

As soon as youve burnt off the first part of the juice , so flat and level ( two laps between manouvres Vs Six Laps volume )
the ' WIER ' stops fuel forward going to the engine feed .

( Is on Russian Forum from & in ' LINAS ' Swedish version of Stunt News )will dig it out , one day .

============================================================

[944_Jim]

So the fuel is splashing ALL around within the tank as the model ascends, descends, flips and flops, around and around and through loops, and wing-overs?

And the idea is that some fuel is always going to migrate into the back/outboard (roughly 18%) partitioned space? And it is enough to complete patterns as it replenishes the partitioned space through this violent three-dimensional fuel dispersal?

Except for when the plane is flying level, so that at that point there remains only enough fuel in that partitioned space, so the plane shuts off.

I'm no tank expert, so I'm trying to understand how the fuel manages to splash inboard, thus hopping over the partition wall. I always thought the fuel would sling to the outboard wall regardless of the plane's attitude.

I think I'm missing something...
After all, even the plane stays out on the lines through all of the girations.

I think I'll go review a few of Shug Emery's inboard-facing-camera videos. I seem to remember seeing the fuel on the outboard wall.even though it migrated up and down the wall as the plane moves down and up.

Again, no expert, just trying to understand how the fuel can come inboard and jump the wall...

Thanks.

[Air Ministry .]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15qe7H9ag3ztBK0PHA3kPtbkCc83uf0lo/view

use google translate .



NOW , Dont Tell Anyone ! . Theyll all want one . 

He mentions trying a ' return ' next time. Which ive used .
however , It'd seem it would inhibit fuel fulling past the rear edge of the lip , flying  vertical.

Ding the thing to match stops , if consistant variation .

NITRO broadens setting range .  Youll waste less fuel , if ' doing the schedule ' due to lost flights through ' off settings '.
Also a bit of extra grunt dosnt hurt things . Bar the paint finish .

[john e. holliday]

The video the Tulsa group did a few years ago did not show the fuel splashing around.   Mostly stayed in outside rear corner of the tank(bubble tank) moving up and down along with the fuel pickup.   

[Air Ministry .]

Be intresting to see a ' proper ' stunt tank , made of say lexcan , Clear Plastic , anyway . on video .
Could be a disposable - short life one .
Flown the schedule - camera focused on the tank . with a dialouge as to manouvre .

Anyway . past say 1/3 fuel burn , level off and youve got four or six laps . Mine seems to be 4 1/2 , past 1/2 fuel burn . looks just like the one in the photo there .

Of course , leaves unused fuel                there . So you drain it or possable a hour or two later the next tank would be part evaporated / oil rich ? .

A twin youd obviously be best seeing the outer rear bit slightly smaller than the inb'd .

Some of you have probably seen my old Nobles
which I so insistently drive big-stunt with. Gladly

in a stressed race-in-everything-goes-at-a-time-
situation as at SM or similar. The

goes so well (in my amateur eyes) and fuss
very rarely which is probably so important when you
comes running from something else.
A small detail that helps then is the little
special tank I made and that makes me

never have to worry about checking the pedestrian
the. After the four-leaf clover, it is usually enough

four to eight turns in plane flight, the engine stops,
regardless of needle setting.
The solution is not unique at all and many
use it safely, that's just the way
I thought of what I think might be off
interest. It became relatively easy to
manufacture.
The tank has a shot that separates a smaller one
space from which the engine sucks
fuel. When the tank is full, it all flows
time fuel in this space but against
in the end, you have to do maneuvers in order to do so

happen. The space is about 10ccm and gives the most-
partly about 20-35sec running time of my OS 40FP.

The time varies enough for the space to be filled differently
from time to time. In strong winds it seems
as fuel skims over to the space and
delays the shutdown but it is extreme
rarely a problem.The pictures show the tank in easy transparent
state and make no claims to be
exact drawings. However, they show how I am
proceeded as well as some basic measurements.
First you solder a rectangular box (1)
without gables. A slot is cut into the box (see picture).
In the slot a shot (2) is fitted. Behind the bulkhead
the tank is traditionally shaped. It is
much easier to tip to this little bit than
the idea throughout its length. Possibly you can get
cut up and put the wrap in the tip then
this one may stick out a bit well otherwise.
The feed tube (5) is pulled forward, straight through
the shot wall at the tip (see picture).
The uniflow tube (6) is pulled along the bulkhead and
straight up. The tube does not have to be bent like

in the picture but it is good about the air bubbles
formed at the orifice is directed forward
to reduce the risk of air being sucked
into the feed tube with uneven motor running as
sequence. Solder the tube to the feed tube so it sits
it remains.
The gossip tube (7) is positioned at its own discretion.
Other comments:
The shot in my tank doesn't have that extra
the goat at the top but the next tank will get it.
Imagine that fuel leaves space
unnecessary when diving etc.
Of course, shots and gables (3 & 4) can as well
are soldered to the edges but the risk of
leakage in cracked solder is greater than
if you make solder flanges as in the picture.

Want someone to have sheet metal spreads (pdf) m. Can
please email me at
lelle.nord@telia.com

π
Thank you,
Lelle Nord

If anyone can copy & post the picture , from the link above , be my guest .!

[John Park]

Hi, Folks:
I haven't been on here for years, but the thread on the old Hallibag merits a comment.  My English master at Grammar School, the late Michael C ("Mac") Foster, DFC, flew his two(?) tours on Halifaxes as a pilot and, very occasionally, could be cajoled into recounting his experiences.  He reckoned the later Marks, with the more-or-less rectangular fin shape, flew beautifully but the early ones with the D-shaped fins were tricky: a common evasion technique to get a night fighter off your tail was to throttle back both engines on on side and kick on a lot of rudder to induce a violent yaw, so losing a LOT of speed, but if you overdid it you could end up in a sideslip, with the rudders locked hard over, that felt as though you were never going to get out of it.  This, Mac told us, scared him almost as much as the flak over the target.  As you can imagine, I hero-worshipped that man!

John

[Bruce Guertin]

My Dad's cousin Bill was a radio operator or something on a Halifax. Subbed in for a crew member on another aircraft and got shot down over the Med. I interviewed him and taped the conversation for our family Genealogy.
Things were exciting after his rescue and  capture by the Italians. They were real happy to have him until they found out he was Canadian and not Australian. He ended up in Italy. When the Italians gave it up the Germans took him back to Germany where he spent the rest of the war.
Bill was a nice guy. I liked him a lot.